India's COVID-19 vaccination drive may begin any week of January 2021: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that India could likely begin its COVID-19 vaccination drive in January 2021.

New Delhi: India could likely begin its COVID-19 vaccination drive in January 2021 Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Monday. He also asserted that the government's first priority is the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

"I personally feel may be in January in any stage or any week, there can be a time when we can be in a position to give first COVID vaccine shot to people of India" Harsh Vardhan was quoted as saying by ANI.

The minister said that the vaccines that have applied for emergency use authorization are being analysed by the regulator. "India is not less than any country when it comes to COVID-19 vaccine and research. Our first priority has been the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. We do not want any comprise on that. Our regulators are analysing them with seriousness," he said.

On Saturday, the minister had said that the Indian scientists and health experts have worked on the development of an indigenous vaccine and in the upcoming six to seven months India will have the capacity to inoculate about 30 crore people.

"Our scientists and health experts have worked on the development of a vaccine by genome sequencing and isolation of the coronavirus and developed an indigenous vaccine. In 6-7 months, we will have the capacity to inoculate about 30 crore people" he had said addressing the 22nd Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting on COVID-19.

There are six COVID-19 vaccine candidates in different clinical trial stages in India including Covishield, Covaxin, ZyCoV-D, Sputnik V, NVX-CoV2373 and recombinant protein antigen-based vaccine.

Besides this, three COVID-19 vaccine candidates are in the pre-clinical stage of which one of the coronavirus vaccine candidates is in the pre-development stage being researched by Aurobindo Pharma, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said.